In Sickness And In Health
by elfmaiden4legs
Summary: Whilst waiting for Edward to return from a recent hunting trip Bella misses him deeply, and is only too glad to see her soul mate when he shows up at her window late one evening! However as the night draws on Edward begins to fall ill... cue Carlisle!
1. Chapter 1

**Twilight – In Sickness & In Health**

**My first 'Twilight' fiction! I hope you enjoy! I love Carlisle, so there will be plenty of him in later chapters, but please do REVIEW!**

**CHAPTER 1**

Bella closed her eyes, a deep and lonely sigh escaped her, the image of Edward reflected back to her against the black of her eyelids. He'd only been gone a week; Carlisle and Esme had made the decision that with the imminent approach of the better weather, it would do the younger generation good to take advantage of the time which they'd usually have to take them out of school anyway, and make the best of what was always a difficult situation by implementing a chance of scenery.

Carlisle had himself offered to vouch for Bella, and the educational value of their trip, as he had always done so for his own children (for all intense and purposes), and she'd realised even without Edward's heightened sensory ability to read people's minds, that she would have been most welcome and accepted amongst their family. However she'd also known that her father would not have agreed to the trip as readily, and so had regrettably declined.

Consequently Bella had spent the remainder of the week regretting her decision, unable to focus on the thought of anything much, or anyone else besides Edward and of how much she missed him. Classes seemed empty without his presence, the school a lonely space without the Cullen's. So much had Edward and his family come to mean to Bella, and the role which they now played in her own life. Although the past few days she'd even began to feel slightly off colour, and not quite her normal self… initially a little hot, then a little cold, somewhat nauseous and slightly light-headed, the thought of Edward only seemed to work to increase her feelings of nausea however, her guts churning at her insides, wrenching at her soul every time she thought of him, picturing his face. All that seemed to have passed for now however, and, putting it down to the anticipation of seeing Edward again, she was now eagerly awaiting his return home.

As she sat, perched on the very edge of her bed, legs drawn up to her torso as her skirt draped over her knees and came to rest at her ankles, radio pumping her head full of insignificant lyrics, she glanced up at the window at intervals, expecting to see him standing there, leaning up against the pane, net curtains flapping and folding inwardly on themselves slightly, dancing in the breeze of a slightly open window. Although so far she'd me with nothing but disappointment, left staring at an empty space.

As the minutes wore on and a hour ticked by she began to lose hope of seeing him that evening, the night was vastly drawing in and she began to consider the prospect that if the family had arrived back late then Edward might not visit until the following morning… although this had never stopped him before. She considered venturing downstairs to get herself a glass of water, she knew that her father was still up; she could hear the television set still playing, when she felt a sudden shadow appear beside her, another body perched on the end of her bed, and she turned to see Edward smiling down at her.

"You're back." She sighed, smiling.

"A few hours go." He explained. "Carlisle insisted that we all catch up on out school work though before they'd allow us to leave again."

"Wow… that sucks!" She looked at him longingly, as he settled down on the bed beside her.

"So, how's your week been?" He asked, as she invited him to wrap his cold arms around her (she'd grown used to his icy touch by now), guiding one strong arm over and around her shoulder.

"I've missed you!" She responded.

"I know." He smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Twilight – In Sickness & In Health**

**Chapter 2**

Bella lay embroiled in Edward's arms, as she had remained, unmoving, for over an hour. Her previous few almost unbearable days of longing had reached their quiet conclusion in this one glorious moment when they could finally be free to be together once more; wanting it to last, never wanting to let go of him again… and the best, the greatest thing about it being that she knew how much that Edward felt the same.

They'd spoken for a while, about nothing in particular, or of any major importance apart from to keep their line of communication open and flowing; neither of them seemed too taken with the prospect when silence threatened to lapse between them, lost in each others company, until eventually Bella, exhausted, had finally fallen asleep, wrapped within the strong and reassuring embrace of her lover, a contented smile curling at the corners of her lips.

Edward meanwhile had seemed to have grown a little restless, suddenly a little quiet and somewhat subdued, although she'd remained oblivious to his silent distress in this semi-conscious state, dozing peacefully and lost in Edward's embrace, awakening only briefly at intervals to fin him staring down at her, watching her as she had slept… she hadn't forgotten the feeling from knowing that he was watching her sleep. Stirred finally back to consciousness after what had seemed like several glorious hours, only by the sudden realisation that his powerful form was no longer pressed up alongside her, with his arms wrapped around her slender waist; despite the continuous chill of his skin there was something warm and deeply comforting about the tightness of Edward's grasp when he held her, which Bella instantly missed; but that he had moved a little closer in the direction of the window, and as she opened her eyes she noticed his darkened silhouette starring distantly out, although despite his absent gaze his focus drawn to apparently nothing in particular, the gentle breeze ruffling his tousled hair.

"I was hot." He explained apologetically, to his own apparent surprise achieving the frequently impossible and reading Bella's thoughts and answering her question before it had even had the chance to form on her lips… before she herself had even had the chance to register that she was thinking it.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I don't know." Edward responded. "I feel kinda strange."

She unravelled herself from her tangle of sheets, as she crawled across the length of the bed on all fours towards him. She thought at first that he might have picked something up whilst he'd been away… before remembering that vampires couldn't get sick.

His skin was far paler than its usual pearly complexion, as if she'd ever thought it possible, and tinged with grey and green. As she reached out, touching his shoulder so delicately that her hand appeared suspended in mid-air for a moment she sensed the tremor beneath her fingertips as he began to shiver.

"Edward, Edward?" She asked urgently, massaging the young (or was it old? After all how old was just over his hundred years worth in a vampire's lifespan?) vampires shivering shoulders reassuringly. "Edward you're scaring me!"

"To be honest I'm staring to scare myself!" He chattered weakly in response to this before Bella added;

"Right I'm gonna call Carlisle!"

"I feel sick!" Edward suddenly stated, and was out of the door, hand shielding his mouth before Bella had even had chance to cross the room… she presumed that he was headed towards the bathroom and gave him rushed directions as he passed. Although knowledge of her boyfriend's real identity and those of his own kind told her that although Edward couldn't actually endure the process of throwing up this didn't stop his muscles contracting, producing a violent succession of dry heaves which she heard as she descended the staircase.

"Can I use the phone?" She asked, calling to her father urgently from the small hallway as she leapt in her urgency from the bottom step.

"Why?" Charlie asked, roused by her clumsy foot upon the stairs, his head suddenly appeared around the corner of the sitting room doorframe as he checked his watch with a curious frown, evidently puzzled by the nature of his daughter's request, considering the lateness of the hour.

"Edward's upstairs, he's not very well." Bella explained cautiously, trying to gage what Charlie's reaction to this revelation might be, and hoping against her better instincts, and knowledge of her fathers usual tendency to jump the gun first and think later, for him to be sympathetic.

"What do you mean he's upstairs?" He demanded however, with all the parental authority of a disapproving father at this.

"He snuck in through my bedroom window." She revealed, trying to disguise as she shrunk back under the intensity of his gaze, not allowing his evidently angry expression and current tone to distract her from the urgency of their situation as she may normally have done.

"He snuck in…"

"Dad I need to call Carlisle!" She insisted, frantic with concern.

Bella's liquid eyes were begging for Charlie to be reasonable, she knew that she could deal with his inevitable reproach and whatever lay in store for her later, Charlie was a soft touch really, not as hard and unfeeling as he would like to have some think… and he doted on his daughter. But for now there was something seriously wrong with Edward, something which went against everything he'd ever told her about his kind, and it scared her.

"Bella…" She heard him whisper her name feverishly, her delicate hearing intricately intuned to his beautifully sung voice. Charlie's own attention was also immediately directed upwards with this, as the sound of Edward's heaves reached them from upstairs. He sighed, mellowing slightly.

"I call him…" He offered. "Give me the number. You… you'd better go and check that he's alright up there." He hesitated.

Bella nodded turning on her own heels with this and almost stumbling over, if Charlie hadn't caught the back of her sweats, righting her as she fell, a silent and yet gratifying smile gently lifted the corners of her pale mouth. "Thanks Ch… dad." She mumbled, correcting herself.

"Oh, and Bella," Charlie added with this, eyebrows raised as his daughter rotated around on the bottom most step of the small stairwell to face him. "We'll talk about this later!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Twilight – In Sickness & In Health**

**Chapter 3**

Something within Bella had predicted that the whole family might turn up outside her house following her father's phone call to the Cullen household, although only Carlisle, Alice and Emmet had had finally shown up to pick Edward up. She'd managed to scrape him off the bathroom floor, and, in the impossibly short few minutes, which it had taken Carlisle to respond to Charlie's phone call, had managed to assist him back to her bedroom across the hall, where he now lay, limply and strangely exhausted across her bed, Charlie lingering uncomfortably in the doorway.

As Bella placed a delicate hand to his forehead she was struck with the familiar icy chill of his skin, although his cheeks had already started to bare the indicative flush of a fever which didn't sit well with the usual unnatural coolness of his touch.

"Bella…" He smiled.

She did her best to return the gesture, despite her concern, murmuring softly to him as she stroked his dry brown locks away from his pale face. "Shhhh…"

"I'm sorry I scared you." He apologised softly, tone of voice surprisingly strong for one so evidently ill. "It's just that this… this isn't supposed to be happening…"

"Shhh." She warned him. "Charlie's here." She explained, before adding. "Carlisle's on his way." She hoped that her explanation and slightly strained tone of voice was plausible, and that Charlie would interpret this as her simply alerting Edward to his presence rather than warning him to be mindful of what he said in her father's presence.

She smiled meekly down at him, stroking his icy cheek with the backs of her delicate fingers as Edward cupped her hand within his vice like palm, his grip only slightly weakened by his current state.

Suddenly there came a knock on the front door, and both Bella and Charlie jumped simultaneously, unsurprisingly Edward didn't even flinch.

"I'll get it!" Charlie offered as Bella turned to glance pleadingly in his direction, before her father disappeared through the open doorway. She nodded and smiled gratefully to his turned back as he went… and she wasn't sure if he had registered her gesture or not, as she heard his retreating footsteps down the hall and descend the stairs.

"Bella…" She heard Edward mummer her name softy and, with this, turned back to see that he had started to shiver, violently. "I love you…" He smiled, through chattering teeth, and instinctively Bella instantly reached for the bed warmer that she kept at the edge of her mattress for the more frequently cooler evenings, to cover him… not knowing in her helplessness what good it would do, but wanting to at least try and relieve some of his discomfort.

"I love you to." She smiled. "Carlisle's here." She explained, and Edward nodded, eyes beginning to close.

"I'd forgotten what it felt like to feel tired." He recalled. "It's so frustrating not being able to sleep!"

At that moment however Bella heard a single set of footsteps begin to ascend the staircase… her father's familiarly heavy tread despite having long lost his standard issue Sheriff's boots for the evening, and wasn't surprised when Carlisle entered silently before Charlie. He smiled reassuringly in her direction before he'd even opened his mouth to speak… there'd always seemed little need for words in Carlisle's presence, and an instant soothing calm immediately appeared to come over the occupants of the room. It was the frequent effect which just knowing she was in the presence of any one of the Cullen family often had upon Bella.

"Hello Bella." He greeted her.

"Carlisle…" She sighed in relief.

As the other man, with his easy smile and the perfectly chiselled features, set in perfect symmetry alongside his pale skin and blonde hair calmly approached the bed where both she and Edward were still resting, and Charlie reappeared in the doorway however, Bella observed the black leather medical bag clasped in Carlisle's pale hand for the first time, and glanced quizzically at the doctor, for the benefit of all others who weren't in on the Cullen's secret life Edwards foster father. He knew better than anybody else that all the medical appliances in the world would be wasted upon Edward, and she realised that this was probably more for Charlie's benefit than anybody else's… although Edward, by rights, shouldn't even be sick anyway.

"You're father's filled me in on Edward's condition." Carlisle explained to Bella, as he sat down on the bed beside her and his son, making a show of placing an assessing palm to Edward's forehead. "Most of what he knows anyway. But I thought you might be able to tell me more." He smiled.

Bella looked at him and nodded. "Well to be honest… I'm not too sure…" She faltered finally, under the encouragement of Carlisle's reassuring gaze. "He was fine… and then he… well, he just wasn't."

Carlisle nodded.

"I'm sorry… I'm not being of much help am I?" She asked, tone soft, almost a whisper with concern.

"It's alright Bella." He assured her, going through the motions of checking Edward's pulse, smiling and gently brushing a stray strand of dark brown hair from her pale guilt ridden face reassuringly, as, observing this, Charlie omitted a deep and impatient growl from the depths of his throat, before the strikingly young looking doctor pulled a thermometer and stethoscope from his black bag.

This outward display of affection between the two came as no surprise to either Bella, nor the semi-observant Edward; all the Cullen's by now realised that Carlisle viewed Bella as another daughter, although he frequently tried to avoid any open display of his paternal and nurturing instincts towards her in Charlie's presence, out of his respect for her biological father.

"I'm right in assuming that this shouldn't be happening?" She wondered, whispering to Carlisle out of the corner of her mouth ensuring that she was out of Charlie's earshot. "Something's terribly wrong."

Carlisle gave Bella a glancing, although sympathetic and reassuring look, turning furtively to gage Charlie's general whereabouts, before, farely confident that he wasn't within earshot of their conversation turning back to her. "I can't be sure what's going on with Edward at this moment in time, not until I've been able to take a proper look at him, and we can't really talk here." He explained. "But you're right to be concerned Bella… no this shouldn't be happening."

With this he jumped swiftly, and still silently, to his feet and turned to Charlie.

"It's nothing too serious." He explained to the brooding Police Chief, with a false sense of sincerity at this. "Just a bad case of flu… still I'm going to take Edward home with me now. He should feel more comfortable once we've got him settled in his own home, with his own familiar things around him."

Charlie simply nodded, with a low mumble of agreement. "Would you…" He cleared his throat gruffly, "would you like any help getting Edward downstairs to the car?" He offered.

"No thank you." Carlisle smiled appreciatively. "I can manage, Alice and Emmet are waiting outside." And with this he scooped Edward up into his arms, with as much apparent ease as if he were simply made out of air itself, and with just as little effort as it might take one man to lift a paper weight, began to carry Edward towards the stairs.

"Very well…" Charlie sighed.

"I'll come with you." Bella offered, as she followed the two anxiously, immediately raising the attention, and the already frayed disposition of her father.

"Bella, you're not going anywhere tonight!" He instructed her, tone oozing with irritable authority.

"But Cha… I mean dad…" Bella began.

"I said no!" Charlie suddenly snapped however, and Bella immediately flinched back with the ferocity of her father's unexpected outburst, turning away from him instinctively to shield the tears which immediately began to collect in her eyes.

"It's alright Chief Swan." Carlisle immediately cut in. "We'll take care of her, and I'll make sure that she gets home safely. Besides, I think it might help Edward to know that Bella is nearby… that is if you have no real objections?" He asked.

Charlie looked at his daughter, head now turned back to face him, her eyes sad and pleading, fixing him with a hurt, and yet still defiant gstare, and he relented. He never could stand to see Bella unhappy, or suffering, and to separate her from Edward at his moment of greatest need would clearly cause her the very greatest of suffering. No matter how angry, how annoyed he was with his daughter at this moment in time, he couldn't do that to her… Charlie sighed, he realised he was frequently far too soft on his daughter.

Finally he nodded. "Alright." He agreed.

"Thanks Charlie…" Bella thanked him with a small smile, quickly wrapping her delicate arms lightly around his neck and shoulders.

"But don't think I'm letting you off lightly young lady…" He added, as he watched Carlisle carry Edward out of the front door and up the drive to his awaiting car, observing as the slight figure of Alice got out of the back passenger side door to assist her father in positioning Edward in the back seat. "We've got a lot to talk about when you get home…" He explained.


	4. Chapter 4

**Twilight – In Sickness & In Health**

**Chapter 4**

"But I thought that vampires couldn't get sick." Bella frowned, as the doctor had began to explain his theory behind Edward's sudden sickness. He'd spent close to the last hour since they'd first arrived back at the Cullen house, upstairs with Edward in his bedroom, whilst Esme had settled in with a worried Bella and Alice on the sofa… her maternal instincts really kicking in, in the light of Bella's intense anxiety, as she tried to comfort the girl she'd come to view as a surrogate daughter, as Alice sat cuddled up beside her and her mother, as Jasper tried to work his calming influence. However, as Carlisle had finally reappeared the three had quickly departed from the large, open living area, each offering up their own meagre excuses to remove themselves, and leaving the doctor and herself alone to discuss Carlisle's findings, for a while.

"They can't… in the traditional sense." Carlisle explained. "But I think in this case Bella, it's you that's sick, and Edward's just picking up on that."

"But I don't feel sick." Bella continued, somewhat bemused by this.

"No… well… that would be because I believe Edward is reading your symptoms Bella, in some way absorbing them in the same way which enables him to read people's thoughts, and quite without reason or effort unlock their minds."

"Well, what can we do?" She asked.

"There are drugs, some medications which are completely wasted on vampires… their properties useless. However, I've been able to conduct some quite extensive research in my many long years and I am confident that there are some which I can prescribe to relieve Edward's symptoms. However, they won't completely go away until you are better Bella."

"And what do you suggest?" She asked… Carlisle frowned.

"Well to start with, something which I know that Edward is not going to like." He sighed. "It might be that the physical closeness and the emotional bond between the two of you, is in some way responsible for heightening the intensity of his symptoms, and so I'm going to have to suggest that you don't see each other, or avoid any possible contact for at least the next few days." He explained. "I know that it's not going to be easy for either of you… but it is necessary if he is to start feeling better, and in order to gradually bring out any of the symptoms, which might somehow be currently transmitting themselves through Edward, in yourself Bella. It should also help to rule out any potential infection, contagious only to vampires, which I don't yet know about."

Bella nodded.

"In the meantime I'm going to prescribe paracetamal for the signs of fever, and stronger painkillers, perhaps morphine for the aches and pain… and would suggest that you Bella take an all in one flu medication, even though you might not outwardly be feeling sick, just to be on the cautious side, and make sure that you drink plenty of fluids… just because you can't feel it, doesn't mean that this isn't potentially dangerous to you." He explained.

With this Carlisle placed a cool palm to the side of Bella's cheek, and frowned. "You are very hot." He remarked. "I think I'd better get you home."

"Can't I at least say goodbye to Edward before we go?" Bella asked pleadingly.

"He's resting now…" Carlisle explained. "I wouldn't advise it… just in case." He smiled. "I've never seen anything like this before, I have no way of telling how his symptoms might affect him."

"He will be alright though won't he?" Bella asked, worried. "If vampires aren't supposed to get sick… well, what if…"

Carlisle chuckled affectionately. "That's exactly why I wouldn't recommend that you see him right at this moment…" He smiled, before faltering, "but…you worry too much about him Bella," He assured her, "Edward's a tough cookie… sure he's feeling ill now, and it's been quite a few years since he last found himself in this position… but the transformation is no walk in the park either you know. Speaking from personal experience, if you can survive that you can withstand anything. He should be up and around again in the next few days."

This at least had the desired effect to reassure Bella, and she smiled in light of Carlisle's positive prognosis for Edward. The doctor continued.

"You, on the other hand, aren't looking too good…" Carlisle commented with concern, as he started to notice the almost translucent pink flush appear against the pale skin of her cheeks, barely perceptible to mortal eyes. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Fine." Bella nodded, answering honestly… although she was beginning to feel just a little colder than she had before, starting to shiver, and her skin was burning to the touch of her own delicate fingertips.

Carlisle draped an extra jacket over her slender shoulders, of which Bella immediately presumed to be Alice's… it certainly had Alice's scent on it, her sweet perfume etched into the thermal lining of the garment.

"Thank you." She smiled gratefully, pulling the thick fabric even more tightly around her still slightly shivering shoulders.

"We'd better get you home." Carlisle reiterated kindly. "Charlie will be waiting."

"He's wondering where you are." Alice's soft, melodic tone suddenly sung out with this, making Bella jump… she hadn't even observed her re-enter the room. In fact she didn't even notice as Carlisle lifted her feather like frame into his arms and carried her back outside to the car… not until the cold, unrelentingly icy evening air blew up a gust around them, caressing her bare skin… Emmet, and Jasper who'd apparently appeared out of nowhere, followed closely behind.

Bella shivered, it was unfortunate that there was no warmth to be gained from Carlisle's cold, stony body, although she was almost too tired to care.

She had been so concerned about Edward's state of health and wellbeing that she'd completely failed to notice the time, which was by now shortly approaching midnight.

"We could take the open air route…" Carlisle smiled, as he placed her in the front passenger seat of the vehicle beside him, turning on the in-car heating system, and Bella instantly remembered that Edward wasn't the only one of his family able to run at slick-lightening speed. "But I thought this would be warmer…" He explained. "That and I don't really want to arouse the suspicions of your father if I were to turn up at your house with no car, and no other possible way of explaining how we got there." He laughed.

Bella smiled slightly to herself, feeling totally at ease and instantly comforted by Carlisle's company. However, she simply mumbled in response as she settled herself even further back into the deep recline of the seat, eyes closed… and Carlisle imself smiled as, glancing down at her slight form a few moments later, he realised that, wearied by the night's events, and exhausted only further by her concern for Edward, she'd herself finally drifted into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Twilight – In Sickness & In Health**

**Chapter 5 – Epilogue**

**Well here it is, final chapter is up! Sorry about the wait, but thank you for being so patient, and please don't forget to REVIEW!**

A few days later Bella lay in bed, exhausted, achy, and suffering the worst of any emotional turmoil she could possibly imagine being subjected to… being separated from Edward. Of course Carlisle had been right, after only a few hours of being separated from him, the symptoms of a few days before had returned… this time with a vengeance, and she'd found herself pretty much bedridden during the following few days… sick, miserable, and, if she dared confess it, even to herself, lonely.

However, being sick had meant that Charlie's attempts to ground her had been somewhat thwarted by the fact that she had been in no fit state to do very much other than lounge around the house, as shed spent the next few days bedridden. Dwelling on the infernal nature of her sickness, re-reading books which she'd already read at least two or three times before, listening to music… every track of which, in it's own way, reminding her of Edward, and watching sickly sweet chick flicks on her portable DVD player.

By the end of the fifth day she was almost about ready to go out of her mind with boredom, and her heart missed a beat every time she thought of Edward, her soul wrenched in two… when she felt the sudden, and quite unexpected electric energy of another body appear beside her, a familiar energy, a shadow in the far corner of the room… and as she turned, she immediately saw him smiling affectionately down at her.

"Edward…" She gasped as he approached, hardly daring to believe her own eyes, and hoping that this wasn't just yet another fever induced hallucination.

"I couldn't bare to spend another moment apart from you." He grinned. Bella smiled at this, drinking in every small subtle detail of his pale features with her thirsty eyes. He still had the severely anaemic complexion of the rest of his fellow Vampire counterparts… but to her relief he was looking now very much better than a few days previous, when she'd seen him last.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Fantastic!" He smiled.

"I've missed you." She beamed, reaching up to wrap her warm arms around his solid frame, as he leant down on the bed beside her.

"You're all sweaty." He smiled as he leant over her, his sweet breath caressing her flushed and pale face, as he gazed down at her playfully, her own dark pupils staring into the deep, dark alluring pools of his eyes.

"Carlisle says that I have a fever." She explained.

His cool skin felt nice against her own burning furnace of flesh, as he brushed her cheek with the back of his one hand.

"You're burning up." He sighed, the corners of his lips turning to form a subtle smile as though he got some small pleasure from the burning heat radiating from her beautifully slim body. She felt like a child in his strong arms.

"You know," Bella smiled, "if I didn't know better I'd say you were deriving some sort of twisted pleasure from my situation." She teased. "You of all people should understand the flu, a little better than anyone… it's no picnic in the park! I've been going out of my mind the last few days, trapped in this place by myself!"

Edward sighed, and Bella immediately felt guilty for dragging up the vampire's painful past however… he did know more than anyone, and equally she knew better than to bring up an event, the memory of which she knew brought him considerable emotional pain… the circumstances of his death. He couldn't recall very much about his previous life, nor the Spanish influenza which had ended it… but Bella realized that what he could remember hurt… and it hurt her to see his stony expression, chiselled into his perfectly sculptured features, like stone.

"It's nice to feel something more than just the constant cold…" He explained, "you don't know what it's like Bella, like sitting in a bath of ice cold water all day, every day… drowning in your own body temperature… so cold that your skin's almost numb, teetering on the very edge of feeling… any drop in temperature and you might lose what it feels like to touch, forever… you're the only person I've ever met who's been able to break through that." He smiled as he stroked his fingers delicately through her soft, although badly dishevelled hair.

She hadn't had the chance to brush it in days.

"Well, I'm glad I could help." She smiled.

"I mean it Bella." Edward beamed, laughing lightly, a slight chuckle which had been barely audible, but was both throaty and hearty as he leant down beside her, his lips pressed up against her ear, as he whispered. "You're amazing, you're beautiful."

"You're making me blush." She giggled.

"That's just the fever." He grinned teasingly, as he kissed her delicately, but passionately on the lips. Bella resisted the temptation to respond however. She realised that this must be the price she must pay for loving Edward. He knew his own limitations, and equally recognised better than she possibly could his own resistance to the temptation of her blood… as much as she longed for him, she couldn't push him. She wouldn't do that to him… she was like a drug to him, as he was to her. They served as an addiction to each other, and so she continued to lay where she was, still, silent, and unmoving.

"Probably…" She sighed.

Bella lay in his cold embrace for several minutes, reluctant to break the physical connection between them, a connection she recognised they both needed to survive, and had been equally deprived of the past few days… until Edward, finally, pulled away suddenly.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Your father's coming." He explained.

Suddenly Bella heard Charlie's footsteps ascending the bottom few stairs, seeming to pause momentarily, before continuing his way up the rest of the stair case, shattering the couples precious moment together.

"Bella…" He called.

"I should go." Edward sighed.

"No, please don't!" Bella pleaded, "Just wait… give Charlie a moment, you know he will soon get board when he realises the games about to start in five minutes… hide, and come back later when he's gone to bed."

"Carlisle will be wondering where I am." Edward explained. "I said I was only popping out for a moment."

Bella sighed. " I love you." She whispered.

"I love you to." Edward smiled, as he leant down to kiss her hard, and passionately, one last time on the lips… and this time Bella did return the gesture, as far as she possibly could, before he reluctantly jumped silently to his feet. His soul seemed heavy, as though something was trying to prevent him from leaving… pulling him back, and Bella could completely understand and empathise with this, as she too felt the bond drawing them together, like magnets being forced apart against their will.

"But remember, it won't be too long now before your fit again." He assured her.

"Don't forget I'll still be grounded though." Bella sighed.

"You're father will come round." Edward remarked confidently with a knowing smile at this however. "He loves you." Before adding, "Besides there's always school."

With this however their suddenly there came a sharp knock at Bella's bedroom door, making her jump with a start, and when she turned back to glance at the space Edward had previously occupied only a split second ago occupied, he was gone.

"Can I come in?" Her father's gruff, but loving voice asked from behind the tick wooden doorframe, and Bella immediately responded.

"Of course dad, come on in." She smiled.

"Well, you look better." Charlie beamed as he entered the bedroom, to see his daughter smiling up at him. "You've certainly got your colour back at least. Feel ready to come down again yet sweetheart?"

"Thank you dad…" Bella nodded, grinning, happier now than she'd been in days, despite Edward's sudden departure, which had left the inevitable gaping, and throbbing hole in her heart. "That would be great."

As Charlie helped his daughter out of bed, before lifting her light frame into his strong arms, she wrapped her own slender arms gently around his neck, as she had once done as a sleepy three year old when he'd once had to carry her upstairs to her bed as a young child. Before burying her head in his neck however, she looked over to see Edward smiling lovingly back at her, eyes oozing warmth and kindness, from his renewed position over by the slightly open window, before, with that, yet again, he was gone.

There was no doubt about it, Edward must have been feeling better… and he was certainly a fast mover.

"Dad," Bella asked weakly, as her father carried her out onto the landing, closing her bedroom door quietly behind them, before descending the stairs with his daughter clutched closely to him, tightly in his arms. "There was just thing I wanted to ask you." She smiled, already knowing the answer. "Am I still grounded?"


End file.
